Wenbo Li, a professor specializing in science communication at Stony Brook’s School of Communication and Journalism, recently published four papers focusing on the impact of social media on communication.
These papers were featured in reputable journals such as Media Psychology, New Media and Society, Communication Research, and Computers in Human Behavior.
Expressing his excitement about these publications, Li mentioned, “I’m delighted about the release of these papers. They explored various phenomena associated with social media and offered a timely overview of these occurrences. I believe that these studies will enhance our understanding of how social media influences individuals and society.”
Among the articles, two examined the effects of social media on Ukrainian refugees. The first piece, titled “Interactive mediated contact on social media: Investigating the impact on attitudes towards Ukrainian refugees,” was published in New Media & Society. It revealed that engaging with content related to Ukrainian refugees on social media, such as through likes, comments, and shares, increased an individual’s empathy towards the refugees. On the contrary, interaction with content portraying Ukrainian refugees as societal threats resulted in negative perceptions. The second article, “The reciprocity of social media engagement and collective actions: A longitudinal study on Ukrainian refugees,” appeared in Computers In Human Behavior. It found that users who actively interacted with social media content concerning Ukrainian refugees were more likely to engage in actions indirectly supporting them by enhancing collective efficacy.
Laura Lindenfeld, the dean of the School of Communication and Journalism and the executive director of the Alda Center for Communicating Science, highlighted, “Similar to other media forms, social media can profoundly shape how individuals perceive and interact with each other and society as a whole. Research like Wenbo’s contributes to understanding these influences and their implications for the future.”
The third article, featured in Media Psychology, is titled “You See You” (UCU): Self-representation affordance moderates bandwagon-cues’ impacts on selective exposure.” Li’s study revealed that users with public social profiles tended to engage more with content that had fewer likes, comments, and shares, while those with private profiles preferred highly interactive content.
The fourth article, “Examining the diffusion of innovations from a dynamic, differential-effects perspective: A longitudinal study on AI adoption among employees,” which was published in Communication Research, analyzed employees’ responses to the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. The study indicated that when AI was portrayed as a tool to enhance productivity, employees viewed it positively. Conversely, when AI was depicted as a potential threat to job security, respondents displayed negative attitudes towards the technology. Moreover, the research highlighted a trend where people’s perceptions of AI became increasingly pessimistic over time.
